Roller-bearing pipe carrier



May 14, 1929. .1. E. JONES ROLLER BEARING PIPE CARRIER Filed Feb. 1, 19

61102 new James E J Patented May 14, 1929.

I amiss amass, or zarcmiroivn, mDram.v

ROL ER-BEARI G sips. CA RIER,

" Application filed February 1, I Serial No. 165 ,1 11,.

. The Object of my present invention, broadthe body ofthe device.

'1 pipe-carrier which is simple in character," construction, auto ly speakinggisto provide a roller bearing stronganddurable in a matic in operation after being installed, easy ofinstallation, and which can be 'm'anufae ture'dandsoldatacomparatively low price.

'It' should first be understood that when' long lines 'ofsteam pipes'are located, espe- 10. cially in greenhouses, that the expansion and contraction of such lines of f'considerable, and therefore the'bracket's for supporting the pipes are frequently loosened, and-sometimes broken, also when the length pipe is considerable the joints 1'6 of the line of v 'in' the :pipes become broken, and again they are inc eventualities in a mechanical and eflicient manner and without materially increased ex- I pense. I

Thespecificobject attained by this inven [tion resides in the'fact that the pipes are car 26 ried on rollers, whereby all friction and strain is eliminated, and especially providing means "whereby'the pipes may have their maximum "degree'of 'endwise movements While at the "sametime therollers have only a ninimumof lateral movement, that is to say that while the rperipher of the roller has a circular moveroller willbe only approximately one-fourth of the lateral travel of the pipe, and in this fact lies the basic novelty of my invention. 40 Other objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the course. of the following description, and that which is new will be correlated in the appended claim. The preferred means for carrying out the principles of my invention in a practicalmanner is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is aside elevation of my device as in actual practice, showing the standard or post to which the device. is attached and showing a pipe carried thereby. Figure 2 is a top plan view of my device, in connection with the post for its support.

Figure 3 is a central section taken through the device on the line 3-3 of Fig.2. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the roller or wheel out the several views.

pipe amount. to

v med to creep and sometimes buckle] or become distorted. Therefore the'object of this'invention is primarily to overcome said tance laterally than the pipe. 7' In other words, to be more specific, the lateral travel of the hone. And igu es is bottom plan view of Similar indices denote like In order that. the construction, theoperation, and. theadv'antages of this invention may be more fully understood "and appreciated, I willnow take up adetailed description thereof, in which I will set forth the same as fully and as comprehensivel as I may.

In the drawings letter Aj] enotesa vertical standard or post. Letter jBdenotes a pipe to be carried. It i-sito be understood that there is to be a row of said posts,

of my devices, whereby the pipe is supported; The body of my device consists of a single I with Ioneiof my devices secured to. each, andjthat a line of "P1136 B-extends horizontally and rests on each I casting, or the like, comprising the'.end portions 1 and 2, and theside portions 3 and 4.

Said parts have a hollow cruciform interior which consists of four cavities 5, 6, 7 and 8 which terminate in the respective portions 1,

2,3 and 4.

, Formed through the bottom .isa ,slot 9,

which opensintocavitiesfi and 6,'and ex tends therebetween. That 9 extends from the outenendof the cavity 5 to the outer endof thefcavity 6, and through the bottom between said-cavities.

Thus it'will be seen that there is no bottom to the cavities 5 and-6, however the cavities is to say, saidslot 7 and 8 have their respective bottoms 10 and I 11, for the purpose hereinafter explained.

Extending upward from the'bottom's 10 and 11, and adjoining. the slot 9, on each side thereof, and parallel therewith,.are the ;respective tracks, or bearing surfaces, 12 and 13.

Projecting outward and upward from the center of the side he the lug or finger 14, with which the pipe B is adapted to engage.

Extending back from the side 3, and from near one end thereof, is thejaw 15. Also extending back from near the other end of the side 3 is the lip 16. The lip 16-an'd the jaw 15 are spaced apart and are parallel with each other, with'the edge portion of the post A adapted to fit therebetween. Formed through the lip 16 is a threaded aperture 17, for the purpose hereinafter stated. a

Numeral 18 denotes a strengthening rib,

connecting the jaw 15 with the end portion 2.

All of said parts designated by numerals are formed integral with each other, thatis to say, they form a single casting.

erate loosely in theslot 9, and in the cavities 7 and 6, wit-h the hubs, 21 and 22, resting revolvably on the respective tracks 12 and 3 13, and with the roller projecting slightly "above the surface of the body, that is, above the members 1, 2, 3 andl. Said roller should be capableof a small amount of lateral movement in the slot 9, and between the tracks.

The hubs 21 and 22 are formed tapering,

' therebycausingthe roller 20 to be normally centered'in the slot 9, whereby it will not be inclined to rub against the sides of the slot 9,01' said tracks; m In practice the earners are secured to their respective posts A, after which the line of pipe is laid, resting iton the periphery of i I f the roller' 20, and adapted to touch the edge of the post A,or the lug 14:, inorder to center itand cause it to be carried entirely by "the roller 20, as shown in Fig. 1.

I It will now be'evident that as the pipe B moves endw'ise, as n expanding and contract ging, it willhave a frictionless bearin in either direction, upon the roller 20, and as the periphery ofthe roller will travel with the pipe, the hubs, 21 and 22, will simply roll upon their respective tracks 12 and 13.

It will now be seen that as the periphery of z the roller is comparatively large, and travels with the pipe, at the same time the hubs'being comparatively small, therefore the travel of i the roller laterallvwill be very much less than the lateral travel of the pipe endwise,

1 thereby permitting the tracks for the hubs to be comparatively short, thereby reducing the required length of the body member and also reducing the torsional strain on thebody membenand thereby accomplishing the ob- I 'ject ofthe'invention.

Another important feature of this construction resides in the fact that should the endwise movement of the pipe bemore than that which permits the hubs to travel to the ends of their tracks, there will still be no damage resultingtherefrom, as the roller may still continue to'revolve with the hubs in contact with the ends of the cavities 7 and 8, with only slight additional amount of friction.

It isato be understood thattvarious changes may be made in the construction, and the arrangement of parts, herein set forth, without departingi'from the spirit of this lnvention, and without sacrificingany o fthe ad;

vantages thereotwhichare new and ,useful.

Having now fully shown and described my invention, what I claim, and desire to V secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, ,1S-

A roller bearing pipe carrier comprising in combination, a bodymember comprising end portions and side portions, there being a hollow cruciform interior" of said body with said interior ,terminatingin a cavity, in each ofsaid side portions there being a slot formed through the bottom of the body with its ends opening into said cavities in theendportions, tracks extending up from said bottom and adjoining the sides of said slot, alfinger pro:

jecting upward and outward from thecenter of the outer one of said side portions,..jaws so extending from the inner side portion and adapted to be secured to averticalfpost, a wheel having its face formed straight across the entire periphery thereohloutwardlyctapering hubs extending concentrically, from each side of said wheeland integral therewith, said wheel being adapted to rotate loosely in said slot with the hubs resting on,

said tracks and with the';periphery,of the wheel extending above the surface of said body 'andfadapted to support ajpipe, with the sides of said pipe adapted to contact with said finger and said post, all substantially as set forth.

JAMES JONES, 

